The Last Stand
by MarksmanKNG
Summary: In the time of greatest perils, The Lighthalzen dungeon has amassed a large army and attacked the city of Prontera. Many have fallen and now Prontera's only hope rests on a band of 7 warriors. This is their last Stand. Oneshot.


_**Author's notes:**_ This short story is dedicated as a gift before I retired from a Ragnarok Online server. And Now I present it to you all to read.

_**Ragnarok Online: The Last Stand**_

The sun turns to a sleepy slumber. The clouds cried its tears onto the field of Prontera. The lush green cascading grasses were stained red with crimson blood. The torrential rain quickly began their march, whisking them their crimson counterparts down to the deep depths of the soil. What was more important however was above ground. Any sign of wildlife was nonexistent, for the simple creatures have fled in fear.

Human corpses lay sprawled, both men and women. Some had their eyes cold open in their deathbed. Some were whole, some were only mere limbs but blood was ever present in abundant supply. These warriors were of Vallhalla's descendents, Prontera city's best. Yet they have fallen to foes of great strength. But, they too took a beating. Bodies of its minions too lay dead, equally mutiliated by wrath of destruction. Both factions of human life have been battered severely but the defenders of Prontera are at their wit's end. They were now a band of seven warriors. Seven warriors versus a remaining force for a thousand warriors, too of transcendent but not of Mother Nature's creation.

Prontera's defenders were completely surrounded. A sniper, assassin cross, high priest, champion, high wizard, gunslinger and a lord knight were Prontera's…no…Rune Midgard's last stand, last hope against this invasion. Even so, the odds were lethal enough to grab attention even those who disregard odds. The cloned creatures of Lighthalzen laboratory held their weapons tight, ready to finish off the small party. They only await the command of Lord Knight Seyren Windsor.

He stood tall in his pristine armour "Defenders of Prontera city. Seceed what is rightfully ours and your lives shall be spared."

The silver armour clad Lord Knight held his hands taut against his sword of Promised Victory. His gold hair was plastered stuck by sweat to his forehead as his blue eyes peeled all around him. Against his back, the simple clothed sniper stood ready, an arrow already in place on his gold composite bow. His black hair drooped slightly to eye level, shrouding whatever his foes could see of his focus. The assassin cross was on his knee, ready for a fight. His twin daggers glistened with red blood, a sharp contrast to his colour of purity or to some, of age white. The champion merely cracked her knuckles with a smile to contend with such youthful blue eyes. Her brown locks hung freely as she swung her inhuman claws at an imaginary target.

A blonde high wizard with her gunslinger counterpart stood at ease, waiting for their moment to begin. Their last partner in the band was chanting her prayers in her melodic voice "May God blesses those who serves in your name. May we succeed in our goal to protect those who cannot protect themselves." With that said, she let her emerald eyes open and her blonde hair to be tussled by the wind of a storm.

The knight turned his gaze upon his friends "It's your call." He is not going to decide with their lives at stake. He can't assure them that they'll make out of this alive.

Arthuria's hands glowed bright as her magic went to work "I am ready to do anything in God's will".

Mark gave a simple smug "Arrows set, locked and good to go"

Terms, still on his knees shrugged "The show must go on."

Jack waved his brown sniper rifle with his cool voice "I'm ready for some fun."

Claire acted impatiently "Are we ever going to start?"

Lullaby raised her clawed fist "Time to put people to sleep!"

The knight could only smile at his friend's optimism. In spite being at the doorstep between life and death, they took it naturally. Yet, he felt a sense of dread. 'What am I doing sending them to a fight we might never make out of?'

The Lord Knight answered Seyren's demands "By the chivalry of Knights, I Aurellius Pendragon will not secede our home to your vile hands."

Lord Seyren closed his eyes as the wind of battle grew stronger "Very well then. Let us begin the cleansing of Prontera with your blood." He swung his sword at the small band, signalling the beginning.

Aurellius's sword of the Lake glowed with a gold aura "Here they come." The waves of clones closed in tighter in their swarm. Arrows began to fly in hundreds, the air sparked with mystical energy. Their last stand has begun.

Jack trained his rifle in a flash, popping a headshot of a young Kavach Ivarus. With the splatter of blood, his hips twist at clockwork, firing deadly one shot kills. He let out a smile "This is a piece of cake." With that, the sound of a brandishing dagger came up behind him. Jack turned as he let go of his rifle to refer to two golden pistols. A Wikibine Tres couldn't match against his bullets. As her corpse crumbled, Jack slid his foot under his sniper as he holstered his pistols back. He flipped the weapon up into his hands before firing into another kill.

Terms rose to his feet as the battle begun. An Engenim Cenia charged fearlessly at him. Her blunt swing missed him with ease as he turned to the offensive. He ducked low before making a stab in the abdomen before finishing it with a spin and a slice of his dagger against the back of her neck. She collapsed as Terms continued the spin to throw a dagger at a magician's neck. The dying magician gurgled as he held his neck in a collapse. Another Engenim Cenia attacked Terms from the left. Terms wielded another dagger before squeezing it tight. The small dagger burst a small jet of red flames as Terms proceded with a powerful thrust from his right foot. The sudden slide caught the lady swordsman by surprise as he sliced her neck with perfect precision.

Lullaby dodged left as she avoided a mace of Erende Ebecee's. She shot back with two punches and the young acolyte was down for the count. A hail of arrows comes forth from the large crowd in front. She bent down and struck the ground. A green wispy blob formed and encases her. The arrows were stopped short by the pneuma as they dropped like a stone. Momentarily protected, she concentrated on the surrounding spirits to form blue spheres. She sent them flying with the twitch of a finger, each sphere being powerful as high explosives, detonating aggressively with deadly force on its victims. The hail of arrows soon stopped as their melee based friends got too close to her. Lullaby smashed her fists onto the soil again as energy sparked in the air. She let out a smile…this is going to be very enjoyable.

Claire stepped left and right, eluding the inexperienced clones. She said in a synchronized form as she countered with a Jupiter Thunder. "And a one and a two!" She looked to see a lightning bolt striking for her. She gave a wave of her hand, deflecting the bolt of energy with her magic. She eyeballed further down to see a magician at work. She let out a 'tsk' before making her own cast. "Kids never learn."

"THUNDER STORM!"

With that chant, she turned for her next foe, confident of her handiwork. And true to her esteem, a toasted magician and a few of his friends were wiped out. She counted as she continued her never ending bolts of electricity "Thirty, thirty one, thirty two…"

A swarm of arrows zipped across the air for its prey. Aurellius, Arthuria and Mark were its target. Arthuria yelled in a cast "Balisca!" A green box formed around the three. The arrows were stopped short as though there was an invisible wall. She added with white magic "Angelus, hear thy call and protect with your blessings. A glowing of invisible armour grew among her comrades.

Mark turned as he said "Aurie! Give me a boost!" Without hesitation, Aurellius dropped to a knee, his palms of metal cupped for ascension.

Arthuria casted as Mark took a step. "May the angel of speed bestow Mark's wish of increased agility!" The snipers feet glowed white as he felt lighter and faster. With his second step, he was pushed up and high into the air. Flying up to the high sky, he flung small boxes into the air around him before firing a shower of arrows. In return, more arrows came to greet him before being deflected noisily with pings and pangs. Down below, the high priest was in deep focus "I ask for your light hands of invulnerability, Kyrie Elieson!"

Mark landed without a hitch as he smiled. The boxes are going to make a lot of noise…just the way he like it. He held a small device with a single red button. "Claymore on!" With a single click, a dozen explosions rocked the earth simultaneously. Bodies were tossed into the air, intact or in pieces.

Aurellius charged forward in the hot aftermath from the protection of Balisca. "Nice work!" The second wave of stronger foes started their part of the swarm. Aurellius led his charge with a strong blow. Even Howard Alt Eisen could not hold it back. The whitesmith was slashed into two from the Herculean might. Aurellius turned with a swing of his sword, never losing his momentum. "Bowling bash!" The surging force slammed a row of warriors back. The rest would jump onto him and overwhelm even his strength…only if he did nothing. He raised his blade up "Magnum Break!" He stabbed the blade into the dirt, triggering a fiery shockwave of dragon's fire.

Terms commented as he sliced an instant kill on a fellow assassin "Still haven't lost your touch eh."

Aurellius twisted his grip back before lashing the air once, a demand for challenge "I'm just warmed up!"

Claire added as she ducked under a knight's slash before shooting with another Jupiter thunder "I'm still winning on our kill count!" She let magic surround her into a blue coat of protection "Energy coat!"

Jack shot back as he let off another shot "I'll beat you to it!" He parried an assassin's slash before slamming the man back with the stock of his gun. His rifle glowed white before reappearing as another weapon. With his new arsenal, he shot the assassin point blank with a burst of deadly pellets. "Oh yeah! Down by the shotgun!" His weapon glowed again before it became bigger and bigger…into a Gatling cannon. He taunted at the incoming opposition "You want a piece of me boy?!" He let it rip, sending a cloud of lethal hot lead. Bullet casings fly with each 'thud' of his gun.

Terms said as he was enclosed by a dozen foemen "Count me in." He knelt onto a knee slashing the ground with his dagger "Meteor assault!" The dust were scattered into the air, turning into large meteors by magic that strikes at everything. The enclosure was broken in a single cast. Terms shot back into backslide on instinct. His body knows everything around him, faster than anything, anyone, even his own mind. He turned as daggers glowed into a powerful set of gleaming katars "Sonic blow!" The consecutive eight blows mutilated a Sniper Checil beyond recognition.

Arthuria's balisca faded away as her energies concentrated again. Her eyes switched at the swish of an axe. She turned, deflecting it aside with a single hand of her golden mace. She let out a menacing growl "You shall not disturb!" With her free hand, she thrust her palm at the whitesmith's face "Holy light!" The single burst of god's power was too much for the clone.

Lullaby punched a knight before turning with an elbow attack in the face for a surprised whitesmith. She bent low before giving another blow from below for another knight's skull. As the knight flew, Lullaby turned and made a quick sphere shot at a sniper Checil "Time for you to sleep!" Her spheres of the spirits warned of a death threat to her left. She had her attention focused onto a whitesmith. The whitesmith looked like any other but this one felt different at the same time. It surged with power, body glowing with invisible energies. Her face turned smug for once "The real whitesmithie?"

The whitesmith coldly spoke in a deep pitched voice, now holding a large powerful axe "I am the original Howard Alt- Eisen." His invisible energies flared into a blaze "I'll show you my true powers unlike my successors." He moved forward at astonishing speeds, a blur to those inexperienced in combat. In a black of an eye, his axe was already swinging the death blow from above. Lullaby smashed his axe, guiding it to cleave only the air. It went down hard, shocking the ground with a gust of wind. She pushed back with another punch only to be sidestepped away by Howard. Howard spun, ripping his axe free with ease into a lethal swing. She stepped back, just barely free from the slash. Yet, she can feel the strong power from just the air. Lullaby aimed and fired a sphere point blank. But Howard was faster, deflecting it away before surging closer into the melee.

Claire on the other hand was exhilarated at her success "250! 251!" An arrow struck out of the blue, barely striking her face. What it didn't catch however was a fringe of her blond air, ripping tiny clips of it. That shut her up for a moment as the battle raged. She turned quiet, expressionless for those long seconds. Even the Kavach Icarus who shot the arrow was surprised. He lowered his bow in confusion. Just then did he notice something…she had eyes that burned with fires of imagination. He felt as though her face was reaching the boiling point. Claire twitched, again and again before finally saying "You…messed with my hair…" Her fists clenched tight, quivering in anger. The young archer felt a chill down his spine, a very cold one fed with growing dread.

Her eyes turned sharp on him; almost to the point her eyes could burn him to crisp. "You messed up my hair!" She yelled in fury "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!" She violently waved her arm across the air "LORD OF VERMILLION!" The frightened shooter looked up to tsee large bolts of raw power storming down onto him. All he could do was squeak "Uh oh" Then it hit. It didn't end just there…Claire yelled to the limit of her voice, casting Lord of Vermillion in a frenzy of blood.

Her ferocity was so bloodthirsty that even the long experienced Terms were spooked "Darn! Remind me not to make her mad!" He parried two Seyrens at the same time. With brute strength, he forced both away before stabbing his katars into the ground "Grimtooth!" Large spikes of rock burst from the ground, stabbing through the two.

Jack yelled as he kept his rain of lead going "Mark! How much you got for rounds?! I'm almost out!"

Mark swung an ankle snare low, skidding across the soil. Its intended prey, an assassin cross dodged with a leap only to be shot through the chest with an arrow. Seeing his foe falter, Mark yelled back "WHAT?! Have you lost your mind?!"

Jack shot back "I know what to do! Just cover me for a minute!" He let his gun churn his rounds to an empty click. Mark stepped in stride beside him, arrows blazing. Jack opened a case on his gun, revealing a silver box. He pulled a few latches before freeing it. Arrows and energy bolts began to swarm around them.

Mark yelled "Arthuria dear! We could use some help!"

She let out a sigh "This isn't the time for such loving terms." She then casted "I ask for your invulnerability of Light hand, Kyrie Elieson!"

Mark yelled as his 'returns' came in greater numbers "Hurry up! I can't hold them in a standstill!" The shield was buying them precious time but it wouldn't last forever under such an onslaught.

Jack was silent, tweaking with the hot silver box. He locked it back in place within his gatling gun before slamming the case shut. In a second, he grabbed a stack of arrows from Mark's pack, loaded them into his own weapon and answered "It's ready! Let her rip!" From the waist, it spewed arrows of oridecon material with a quieter hiss.

Mark dumped his quiver of arrows onto the floor beside Jack "Here you go! I'll make my own!" He bent low, retrieving a rock from the soil. It glowed as it shattered into invisible pieces. It kept glowing as the arrowheads formed. It then grew until its shafts were complete in his palm. With arrows of five, he held it taut against the string of his bow. In an instant, he aimed it at a gang of five "Arrow shower!"

High priest Margaretha spoke with tranquillity. "Let us do battle and determine who the stronger one is."

Arthuria stepped forward, her free hand glowing white "I accept your challenge." They stood at a stand off, a battle of magic. It will all be dependent on spells and counter spells. Speed is the essence as too is power, thus such balance lays in the hands of the experienced casters. They started off firing spells at one another or to themselves.

"Holy light!"

"Kyrie Elieson!"

"Blessing!"

"Lex Divina!"

"Lex Aterna!"

"HOLY LIGHT!" Their simultaneous attack struck furiously with sparks before flashing to nothing.

Aurellius parried strike after strike from Seyren Windsor before counterattacking with his own slash. The two are pitched into a battle of parry and misses. Every time, they were so close yet so far from their goals. Aurellius blocked death from above "Why do you want to commit such slaughter of everyone in Prontera?!"

Seyren smirked with an answer, one of genuine anger "We sacrificed our bodies, our identities for the protection of Rune Midgard." Anger seeped into his words "But…Prontera was never grateful of our acts. It forgot about us, those who went such great pains to create the clone army of Prontera." He gave a kick in the gut, pushing Aurellius back "Oh, for the greater good they say…it all came to nothing!" They smashed swords again. "All of our sacrifices were in vain…in vain!" Seyren struck his enemy's sword aside before coming down on a slash "Now, it's time for retribution."

Aurellius dropped to a knee, blocking the slash with great swordsmanship "Why put all your sacrifices to waste?! It may not have any good now but the future has its potential!"

Seyren struck again, his blade just shy from the kill "Hah, those sacrifices weren't even acknowledged. Worse, they never thought of recalling us and worst of all they branded us as traitors and heretics! For we suffer such great pains and they blame us for such acts are insufferable!"

The mad wizard was still on her rampage, her wrath still mercilessly ravaging both man and nature. Her eyes were bloodshot in rage, sanity literally out of her mind. Her lightning bolts fly across the ground, spearing all that stands in its way. Another lightning bolt struck from the clouds of Zeus, clashing both in a bright light. They vanished in a blink of the eye, all spent in milliseconds of battle. Claire turned her eye onto a prey high wizard. Without any hesitation, her cast of fire was already spearing towards her target. The high wizard Katrinn lashed her hand into the air, bolts of ice meeting end to end with their rivals. As both bolts of elements died, the Katrinn chanted "Soul Strike!" Six yellow balls of energy surged forth from her staff in a quick counterattack. Claire sent back a soul strike of her own, bringing it to a draw. Her sanity slowly crawled back to its bed as the stalemate goes on.

Mark ran as he fired arrows at his nemesis, Sniper Schechil Damon. 'Keep moving! Lose your speed and you die!' His mind told him. The two were already deep into the hard fight, Schecil firing the first shot. Now in parallel paths, they fired to near misses at one another, only avoidable by skill and instinct. Mark winced at another close call by his neck. 'Let's see how you like this!' He turned around into a skid, bending low under another arrow. Afterwards, he pushed himself up into a midair cartwheel, returning fire in his spin.

Schecil spun aside of the shot. The sleek arrow went perfectly in synchronised with her bow. Grapping the arrow tight, Schecil finished the circle and sent Mark's arrow back "Here's your arrow back!"

Mark cursed as the arrow came back for his heart instead. As his foot touched ground, he forced them apart into a split. The arrow went overhead, touching a fringe of his hair. "Oh shoot." Now vulnerable like a sitting duck, Mark pushed himself into a backward roll. Arrows followed with every revolution, striking the soft grassy soil. Still surviving, Mark pushed himself back up onto his feet, already training his weapon for a comeback.

Terms and Eremes Guile stood still in gridlock. Their katars were red hot in a fury of infinite clashes. Their blades move as though they do not. Only the flashes and the noisy clashes told of such aggressive battle. They both were silent as the clashes rose in a striking crescendo. At its peak, their weapons glowed white as they yelled in unison "SONIC BLOW!" Large shockwaves erupted with every strike of theirs. Yet in its resolution, it all came to null as their skills matched to one another. As the brown dust flew in a gust of wind, Terms and Eremes smiled in enjoyment "You're good." With a simple thing said, the cycle began once again.

Jack felt the awesome shockwave between the two assassins. He gave a quick peek as his gun keep pumping arrows. "Dame...that's some power…" That peek however turned to be his undoing. An arrow flew under his senses, striking unwary Jack in the shoulder. It spun him around only to receive another arrow in the back. It forced a scream of pain from his throat as he collapsed onto the ground. Despite the growing pain, he reached for the arrows on his back…and ripped it free from his flesh.

The pain was overwhelming, bringing to almost absolute paralysis. His vision almost faded as he heard the rumble of footsteps, coming for him. He turned onto his back with what strength that had not abandoned him. The wounds stung yet they don't hurt as they once did…Did this mean his brain's closing down for death? Painless of no, Jack won't let them kill him. He preferred to go in gung ho style of combat. As the dozen steps came closer and closer, he reached into his blood stained jacket. From it, he produced a metal sphere. He held the white sphere to his chest as he saw his killers standing around him, about to finish him off.

He gave his last words "Have a nice day." He crushed the sphere into a glow of bright light. He felt all the pain, all the suffering now dissolving into peace. He let the light take over his stead and took his path to Valhalla. In reality, the light turned into a firestorm of high explosives, sending Jack and his would be killers to oblivion.

Aurellius felt a pang of loss, known only by the subconscious spirit. His rage burned, intertwined with pain and grief to strike with the power of his blade. He knew the rest felt it as well. Nevertheless, he tapped his strength into his sword, blocking every strike that rained onto him. He can't afford to lose focus or he'll be joining Jack. Yet his guard failed him as his parry collapse into a slash of blood of his chest. Pain seared through his skin before growing sharply by another deep cut across his abdomen instead. Before he could even twitch, he felt hot metal piercing through his heart and beyond his back. Crimson blood oozed from his flesh wounds, his body numb from everything around him. He could see Seyren smile before his view was kicked back to see the dark sky. In cold silence, he could only gasp for air which never eased his body.

Claire countered Katrinn's soul strike with her own. They disappeared to unveil a ball of lightning surging for Claire. She tried to repulse it but it was too late. Paralysing shocks of electric pushed her back and down onto the floor. Without a second to spare, a Frost Diver quickly enclosed around her before finally the Lord of Vermillion casted his dues. Claire could only curse "Darn…" The dues shrouded the frozen wizard in its bombardment of yellow.

Lullaby and Howard were in deep powerful clashes. Howard's axe was red hot as energy swirled in its core. With every miss of the axe, it sent out wave upon wave of blistering heat. With the air as though on fire, it became harder to breathe. It was a one side game of cat hunting the mouse thanks to the axe's fiery ferocity. Any attempts of parrying could even cause fatality. Even so, all those calls only bring the gold pleasure of combat to the lady champion. She crouched under a swing of death before taking the initiative of a counter. With all her might, she swung her clawed hands from below. Howard sidestepped left, swinging the behemoth axe. Their weapons clash in a tandem of flashes and sparks. Lullaby plunged her other arm into the battle of weapons. In spite of so, the hot steel of the whitesmith won the clash and shattered the claws entirely into fragments. From the after effects, Lullaby was blasted aside onto the ground, rolling to a stop face down.

The two snipers were in their own game, trading arrows with one another. As the soil becomes soaked with the blood of the fallen, it was ever difficult for the speed game to go on. Mark side kicked an Eremes guile in the face before ducking under an arrow. He pushed to a forward flip, firing an arrow to the assassin's skill. Mark landed into a slip on a pool of blood. Sensing the urgency, he heaved himself up as fast as he could but it was too late. Hot pain spiked in his shoulder as an arrow imbedded itself within. He grabbed it and pulled it free, letting go a shriek of pain. As his body numbs itself from the pain, it relentlessly struck him again with another jolt in the thigh. His legs turned weak, vision slowly fading as his blood mixed into the pool of many other warriors. The numbness spread all over him, feeling ever tired into the seduction of everlasting sleep. He collapsed to his knees, drained of all power left in him.

Arthuria's eyes darted across the battlefield as her arms moved by instinct, reflecting magic with magic. She saw her downed comrades on Mother Earth. Only Terms and she are still effective in battle. In spited of her pained emotions burning in her heart, she shunned them aside. Her eyes felt strained as her duty as a high priest took over. She turned away any tears, into determination of sacrifice. She held her palms close to her heart in total ignorance of the magical barrage being inflicted onto her "God all mighty…" A gold orb formed in the claps of her hands. Now unopposed, beams of Holy Light slammed against her with force one could barely hold. The pain was unbearable even to those who are resilient. But, she held on as the orb glowed brighter and brighter. Blood red froth dripped from her lips, wounds taking its toll. "With all the holy sanctity to me by thou…I shall pass it on to those who are divine of spirit."

Her body now started to glow a bright blue as she spread her arms wide, splitting the orbs into tiny sparkles of light. "Divine Sanctuary!" A wave of gold swooped over the battlefield.

Aurellius felt warmth in his torn heart, spreading all over his body. Strength seemed to have returned to its wielder. He felt himself whole once more as he raised a knee. Slowly but surely, he rose to full form, his body healed of all wounds. He reached for his trusted sword by his side. His eyes burned with renewed power. All around him, he can sense his friends arise from their weakened slumber. With a single gaze, he saw Arthuria, glowing more lustrously by the second. Her blue aura danced in symphony with its great power. "It's time I returned the favour." That said, his sword energized in bright gold.

Mark felt the divine wind surrounding him in the perfect warmth. His body grew strong again as though being recharged from days of use. His vision returned to crystal clear as his instincts kicked to maximum efficiency. He ducked, barely escaping an arrow to the head. He shot up to his feet as his eyes turned into a witness. Margaretha was closing the distance between Arthuria and herself. Arthuria, still in deep concentration was still ignorant to the harsh wounds she was inflicted. Margaretha raised a powerful mace, intent on killing his beloved. Mark felt his heart shatter in horror, he can't stand to see her take such punishment "Arthuria!!"

Arthuria's eyes snapped open, radiating blue. She grabbed the mace with her arm in midway before they both were consumed in a bright blue explosion. Smoke quickly took its place, shadowing the devastated battlefield. Mark felt a pang of dread…deep dread of what she has done. "No…" With all his speed, he ran and ran at speeds he never once had. His mind told him that she's dead but the heart told him otherwise 'It can't be, it just can't'. He yelled again, ignorant of Schecil "Arthuria!!" Nothing mattered more to him than the well being of the honoured High Priest. The smoke began to clear as he stepped into the epicentre of the blast.

And there she was, fallen on the ground. Her body was burned badly with her hair undone in a mess. Her eyes fluttered weakly as he rested her head against his chest. He felt even more pain thundering into his soul. She's barely alive and he knew she won't last long…not after the God's Hand of Sacrifice. He lied in assurance "It's going to be alright…it's going to be alright."

Her answer was weak, barely audible to his ears "My dear…I will not survive." He inched closer to her voice "Mark…I want to say this…" She took a weak gasp of air "No matter…where I'll be… no matter what task God has set for you or me…" She worked a faint smile "I will always love you…"

Mark could barely take any more "I will always love you too…" He cut off his imminent choking whimpers with a kiss in the lips. The air around them glowed with blue shiny particles. Arthuria's legs faded into the blue aura, spreading all over. The wind then brushed them away into the higher skies, never to be seen again. In a brief moment, the high priest Arthuria is all but no more…

At first, Mark could feel only an empty shell in him. The shock came … then sorrow…and finally the pain of loss. The three intertwined one another, effortlessly united in hurting the sniper's soul. They grew ever so large that Mark could just not take any more of it. He roared his despairs out from the deepest depths of his heart into the open battlefield. Nevertheless, war never gave any reprieve from his grief.

An arrow was already in motion to end his grief. The perfect hit would end his sorrow and pain altogether. It is now only up to his choice of life and death. What will be his choice, a slow suffering life or a quick painless death? It zoomed closer and closer, its sharp head eager for fresh meat and blood. It almost reached out for him, defying natural physics striving at maximum speed for its prey. But…it never hit. Mark raised an arm, faster than the blink of an eye, dexterous as the claws of an eagle. The arrow was stopped perfectly before his face, held in tight grip. His eyes were sharp as lasers, never wavering as the arrow was snapped into two. He slowly stood up, fingers letting go off the scrapped arrow. His bow laid afar, glowed bright white before reappearing in his arms. He held the string taut, a yellow arrow of energy formed in place. "Your sacrifice Arthuria…" He loosened his grip "Shall not be in vain." His fingers let the arrow free.

Terms was invigorated from Arthuria's sacrificial sanctuary. His blades were ever eager for the blood of his enemies, seeking to redeem the life of his friend. They however have no luck so far, meeting only similar companions. Terms stepped back from a slash for his eyes. He ducked under another following slash. Now with a hole in the net of defence, he struck back. But Eremes already foresaw it with a leap back in his dodge. Changing tactics on the fly, Terms struck the soil, sending spikes on a path for Eremes "Grimtooth!" Eremes shot to the air, coming down with double slashes. Terms leapt forward in a charge against it. Charge against charge, they clashed only for a mere second and it was done. They landed on opposite sides of one another. Terms dropped to a knee, bleeding profusely from two diagonal slash on his chest. Eremes dropped to his knees too. In total silence, the two didn't move. Eremes upper half of his body dropped to the floor, cleaved cleanly into two.

Katrinn stopped her seconds' long bombardment. She knew it was sufficient and admired her handiwork of black burnt soil. The grass was now black charred charcoal but there was no black corpse to join it. Claire was standing tall, a blue coat of energy encasing her from harm. Katrinn had a mild shock but it was overtaken by action in a flash. Lord of Vermillion casted its deadly rain again, pummelling the high wizard. The coat however repelled all that hit as Claire moved forward, step by very step. The bombardment went on, stronger and stronger as it tightened the circle of effect. The coat held as Claire struggled forward under the power of magic. She inched closer and closer, never returning magical might. Katrinn struck faster and faster as the distance dropped. All her efforts were futile as she took a step back, only to find her stuck, bound by invisible chains. Claire wasn't just using magic to repel hers, but also to immobilize her! Katrinn send a desperate Jupiter Thunder in hopes of pushing her back as Claire reached point blank range. This time however, Claire took action. She deflected the ball of lightning aside before saying "Good night." She raised her staff and smashed it with Katrinn's skull. It broke through the armour of calcium and into the soft pink flesh of the mind. In an instant death, the dead shell of the high wizard tumbled aside onto the floor. Claire gave one last stare at her kill "Good riddance."

Howard prodded the champion with his foot. Without a response, he added pressure onto his unconscious prey's head. Bent on crushing it, he let out a grin for his lust of blood. He had shown what his actual power to that overconfident champion and now she will regret underestimating his actual self. Not that she will live to regret it anyway! 'Hmm…' he pondered 'How should I finish this one? Should it be a fast and painless or nice and slow death?' He upped the pressure "I'll take the slow way."

Just then, a hand wrapped around his crushing foot. "Don't mess with my head…" Lullaby growled from the ground. With a strong tug, she forced the whitesmith to slip onto the ground. Light as a feather, she pushed up to her feet before hopping over Howard with a punch for the face. Howard blocked in the nick of time with the side of his axe. His spiritual energy spiked, throwing the champion off him. He got back to his feet and charged with the axe above him. Lullaby stood her ground, blue spheres forming around her. The tiny development meant nothing to Howard as he swung death from above. Rather than dodge, Lullaby held it back with her bare hands! As little blood oozed from simple cuts, skin strengthened by the mind, Howard taunted "You are only delaying the inevitable."

Lullaby smiled "I'm not…" With super strength, she thrust the axe back as her hands glowed white in power "You are!" She shot forward with a powerful blow through his defence "ASURA STRIKE!" The devastative explosion alone caused a cloud of smoke. Yet it was quickly whisked away by the wind to reveal the champion in her prime glory. Not even a piece of Howard was in sight…It was the perfect kill.

Mark set his golden arrow free. Schecil leaned right, avoiding the arrow of light. Its raw power could be felt by the red hot heat of its radiance. Schecil snapped a shot back in instantaneous counterattack. Mark stood his ground, his hand a blur of sight. The arrow was caught again. Pressing the advantage, Schecil fired again and again. Mark however simply swatted them aside as he started forward into a run. Schecil changed tactics, firing in pairs or trios. As the barrage got heavier, Mark dodged faster in the run. With him closing in, Schecil backed away as she continued the barrage. One hit was just what she needs. Mark was faster, catching a trio of arrows in a single hand as he raised his bow. Now being a mere few feet away, his actions made no sense to Schecil. Changing tactics again, she closed in with a leap instead as she reached for her knife.

Mark lined his bow straight for the heart, a killer shot at such close range. Schecil raised her drawn knife up high for the kill. Mark reared back as he snapped off a shot. Schecil snapped her body right in a sudden twist. The arrow grazed her in the thigh but the injury matter not to her for her enemy will die now. She sliced with her tiny blade. However, it didn't meet flesh but metal of a pristine bow. Mark forced his parry to the side, throwing Schecil's lethal hand aside. He pushed the turn into a simultaneous full spin and kneel "Double Strafing!" The twin arrows struck Schecil in the heart, throwing her back onto the floor hard. In a gurgle of her own blood, her eyes closed shut to see eternal darkness.

The battle of Lord Knights reached an epic scale. Gusts of wind were thrown in each slice and parry. Their swords, gold and red auras burned with light bright intensity. They met gridlock, throwing winds of fury with might that matched the tornadoes. Aurellius yelled through the windy buffers of sound "It's over Seyren!"

"No, it isn't!"

"Your men are dead and so are your best. What you seek for has now brought you nothing!"

"I will finish all of you myself should I need to!"

Aurellius shot back from the gridlock "No…you won't do that." His blade sparked with gold bolts of lightning "For I will finish you myself!" He raised his sword up high into the sky "EXCALIBUR! I summon the might of the spirits and Avalon to put justice to evil!" Thunder struck the tip of his blade, changing the gold bolts to a hue of blue. He swung his blade in a perfect cut. Burst of energy shot out with megalomaniac intensity. The earth shook as the wall of raw power surged for Seyren.

Seyren's blade glowed jet black "Justice is the one being done by me!" He shot a similar burst, both to clash right in the middle. The conflict was long and bright, being monsters themselves. Aurellius yelled a war cry before doing the unthinkable, leaping right into the two competing bursts. Hot heat burned every living cell of his body. It was literally un-breathable as he entered deeper in this cloud of hell. He channelled all his inner energies into Excalibur. He's going to end this or die trying. He punched through the cloud at astonishing speeds, right into Seyren. Seyren parried but the powered Excalibur burned through it, melting even the highest grade of carbon steel. Both Lord Knights were sent into a wall of the Prontera gates. Bricks crumbled as they withstood the full might. In the aftermath of fine dust, Seyren let out a groan of pain. His body felt so free and open. He gazed down at himself to see a huge hole drilled into his chest, clean through the thick armour he wore. He could feel the cracks of armour at his back, telling him of penetration through himself.

Aurellius heaved his scorched black armour away from the mess. Hot vapours rose from everything around. With barely any strength to hold, he plopped his posterior onto the ground. He took slow deep breaths in the air now cooled by the rain. Seyren let out a wheeze "It's now over for me…"

Aurellius's voice had no strength for emotion "It is."

Seyren closed his eyes as he felt the Reaper's cold numbness crawling over him intent on swallowing him whole. "I'll leave this world to you…" He drew a breath of nothing "I hope we get to fight again in Valhalla…my time is over…"

Aurellius looked on as his defeated foe succumbs to the forces of death. He felt something odd in his emotions. Sympathy for the one who was moments earlier almost killed him without any qualms of humanity. Yet, seeing Seyren like this felt so different than what he was in battle. He gazed his eyes across he span of land. Wanton destruction had desecrated living nature. It will take a long time for them to heal from such torment. What's left of the clone army were in a rout, having lost their pillars of leadership. What they may have in terms of physicality could not attain one's own power of mind and experience.

Terms stood beside him, his wounds freshly bandaged "What shall we do now?"

Aurellius stared at the fleeing hundreds "Leave them be, they will never leave their home…for a while"

Claire said as she sat beside Aurellius "Even then, they aren't a threat."

Lullaby pat on Terms back, making him wince "If they do come, we can have fun again!"

Aurellius chuckled at the champion's sadistic humour. Yet too many have died. His good friends, Jack and Arthuria were not spared. They themselves were lucky with Arthuria's life as the price. "Let's just hope they won't." He stood up before sheathing his blade "It's time we return home."

Mark stared into the dark sky. He aimed his bow high into the clouds "This one's for you Arthuria. May God bless you for your deeds." His arrow glowed gold before he let it go. It struck through the clouds, forever gone from his sight. He closed his eyes as he turned back towards the gate of Prontera "Goodbye…my love."

Please review, Thank you


End file.
